Cats have a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to compliance. In other words, they usually do exactly what they want precisely when they want to do it! Their natural independence makes it difficult to train them, or at least, that’s what we always used to believe. But Nipa, a cat from Finland, is changing the way we think about cats learning new tricks forever.
Nipa’s human friend Tiina works in a nursing home, and her residents love visiting with friendly therapy animals. Tiina decided to take Nipa to work with her to bring everyone more joy and comfort, but in order for that to happen, Nipa had to learn some manners first. “I saw @cat.school’s videos on how Julie, the cat school teacher, has taught her cat tricks, and I got inspired so I signed up for cat school and learned the basics in clicker(响板) training,” Tiina said.
After weeks of daily practice sessions, Nipa recently graduated from kitty school! Now, Nipa and Tiina start each and every day with a 5-15 minute training session. Using treats and a plastic clicker, Tiina has taught Nipa more than 50 tricks, including his favorite, “cop cop”, where he walks up the stairs on top of his mom’s feet.
Tiina said training Nipa to do these tricks was relatively simple once she knew how to do it. “It depends a lot on the trick and how actively we train it,” she explained. “Some tricks are harder to teach than others. The most challenging trick was probably skateboarding, I think he could still improve his skateboarding talent.”
Now that he’s all trained up, Nipa can go to work with Tiina, and the residents have loved having him around. One of them actually cried tears of joy while Nipa was sitting in his lap. “Nipa is like an ‘icebreaker,’” Tiina said. “The seniors immediately light up when they see him and start talking to him and me.”
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1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A It was difficult for man to train a cat in ancient times.
B Cats always persist doing something in their old ways.
C Nipa’s excellent performance overturns people’s view of cats.
D Cats are often spoiled and have a tendency towards naughty.
解析:选C。C 推理判断题。根据第一段But Nipa, a cat from Finland, is changing the way we think about cats learning new tricks forever.可知,来自芬兰的猫咪尼帕正在改变我们对猫学习新技巧的看法。由此推断尼帕的出色表现颠覆了人们对猫的看法,故选C。
2.What’s the purpose for Tiina to let Nipa get training?
A To start a challenge to the cat school teacher Julie.
B To make Nipa become a well-trained therapy animal.
C To find something fun in the boring and busy life.
D To satisfy the needs of local residents in her community.
解析:选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段可知,蒂纳(Tiina)在一家疗养院工作,她的住客喜欢带着友好的治疗动物一起过来。蒂娜决定带尼帕一起工作,给大家带来更多的快乐和安慰,但为了实现这一点,尼帕必须先学会一些礼仪。故选B。
3.Which of the following statements best describes Nipa’s talent?
A He graduated from kitty school in a short time.
B He can grasp each trick in a 5-15 minute training session.
C He has finished learning more than 50 tricks from Tiina.
D He can understand Tiina’s instructions through assisted measures.
解析:选C。C 细节理解题。根据第三段Using treats and a plastic clicker, Tiina has taught Nipa more than 50 tricks, including his favorite, “cop cop,” where he walks up the stairs on top of his mom’s feet.以及第四段Some tricks are harder to teach than others. The most challenging trick was probably skateboarding可知,蒂娜利用零食和塑料响板教了尼帕50多个小把戏,包括蹲在她的脚背上上楼梯以及难度更高的滑板运动。故选C。
4.The underlined part in the last parargraph probably means _______.
A Nipa always shines under the limelight
B Nipa is limited in a certain area of activities
C Nipa is accustomed to involving in activities
D Nipa can create a relaxing atmosphere each time
解析:选D。D 句意理解题。根据最后一段The seniors immediately light up when they see him and start talking to him and me.可知,老人们看到尼帕时马上高兴起来,开始和他以及蒂娜说话。由此推断尼帕每次都能营造轻松的氛围,他真是一个“破冰者”。故选D。